Enterprises Seeking Experience Parity, ISG Says

Enterprises increasingly are seeking experience parity?the ability to deliver a seamless experience to both customers and employees, regardless of location?for strategic advantage, say experts with Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

ISG analysts say experience parity is becoming a key differentiator in the business and talent markets, as employees seek the freedom to select both their workspace and technology, and customers expect the same experience online and in person. Achieving such parity requires a continuum of technology solutions and platforms, ISG says.

Experience parity will be among the topics discussed at the upcoming ISG Digital Business Summit, June 25?26, at the Royal Lancaster London Hotel. The event will feature ISG advisors and analysts as well as leaders from Diageo, BP, Sandoz, BNY Mellon, VML, the Post Office Group, the Imperial War Museum, Maersk, eBay, the University of Nottingham and more.

"Enterprises no longer partner with service providers to simply provide laptops, mobiles, Wi-Fi and service desks," said Iain Fisher, director, ISG Research, and host of the ISG Digital Business Summit. "Instead, they seek partners that can help them offer a flexible workplace and client experience incorporating a continuum of technologies, ranging from traditional, low-tech approaches to AI, XR [extended reality] and immersive experiences."

Zdravko Mladenov, the former group chief digital and information officer at Post Office Group, the largest retailer in the U.K., will deliver a keynote presentation on day one of the event, detailing the Post Office Group's tech modernization and digital transformation, one of the largest such projects in recent history.

The first day of the event also will include a panel discussion on navigating disruption, with Gemma Spence, chief digital commerce officer, EMEA, for global creative agency VML; Nicholas Hodder, director of digital transformation, Imperial War Museum, and Bogdan Grigorescu, senior technical lead, architecture, eBay. The experts will take a deep dive into current market trends and share tips for managing technological innovations and changing consumer preferences.

Also on day one, Steven Furnell, professor of cybersecurity at the University of Nottingham, will host a breakout session on cybersecurity for the platform economy, and ISG experts will lead other breakout sessions, on sustainable technologies in digital business, harnessing AI and machine learning for business innovation, regulatory challenges and opportunities in sustainability, and embracing a total experience (TX) strategy.

"Collaboration and communication are equally critical to experience parity, involving internal and external tools such as AR [augmented reality], VR [virtual reality] and XR. These post-pandemic capabilities can be particularly challenging to integrate with pre-pandemic infrastructure," Fisher said. "To enable ubiquitous access to devices, applications, data, workflow, documents and processes, enterprises need comprehensive security protocols and clear access rights across all platforms."

In a day-one panel discussion, "Cultivating a Customer-Centric Culture Across the Organization," James Brindley-Raynes, head of digital customer journey for Maersk; Melissa Moraes-Edwards, head of people experience at leading technology investor Hg, and Mariya Brown, head of innovation, EMEA, BNY Mellon, will share strategies for effectively optimizing customer experience (CX), user experience (UX) and employee experience (EX) to create a seamless and rewarding total experience for customers.

The ISG Startup Challenge, featuring entrepreneurs pitching their business innovations to a panel of judges for an audience vote, will round out the first day of the event.

The keynote on day two of the ISG Digital Business Summit will be delivered by Steve Janoo, chief data analytics officer and digital technology SVP, Diageo Plc, on how to build a new channel direct to the consumer and simultaneously maintain focus on core operations.

Separate sessions on day two will feature Kostas Vogiatzakis, vice president, process excellence and automation with global property management firm IWG, sharing his company's journey from automation to digital operations in a fireside chat; Ed Gamble, digital garage manager for procurement at global oil and gas company BP, sharing thoughts on redefining business models in the era of innovation, and Yaniv Naor Nahoum, director of master data management for Sandoz, on proactive strategies for leveraging data mastery and safeguarding digital assets.

Hitachi, Accenture and Unisys are ISG Digital Business Summit event sponsors. CIOInsights, CIOReview, CIO TechWorld, Digital Workplace Group, Hifo.co, HRM Outlook, ICON Outlook, Procurement League, the Technology Business Management Council and Telecom Reseller are media partners.

Additional information and registration are available on the event website.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 900 clients, including more than 75 of the world's top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including AI and automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs 1,600 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries?a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry's most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.